1. Field of Invention
The invention relates generally to devices for moving a patient on a surface, such as a bed or gurney; for transferring or sliding a patient from one surface to another surface, such as from a bed to a gurney or vice versa, and for rotating a patient from side to side on a bed.
2. Description of Related Technology
Health care workers are responsible for the care of partly or completely incapacitated persons. To adequately care for such persons, health care professionals are frequently relied upon to move the persons between two different surfaces such as from a bed to a gurney, from a bed to a wheel chair or from a bed to a commode. In certain circumstances, the health care workers only need to move a patient within his or her bed such as sliding the patient toward the head or foot of the bed or rotating the patient from side to side to prevent and/or treat bed sores that may result from extended periods of time lying in one position.
It is not uncommon for a health care worker to be injured during a patient transfer procedure. While transferring a patient, the health care worker must often lean over the bed, gurney or wheel chair to pull the patient in the intended direction. As a result, health care workers can injure back, neck and shoulder muscles. The risk of injury is highest when one health care worker is responsible for the care of a patient, however injuries also occur when multiple workers are involved.
While health care workers may be injured during patient transfer, it is also not uncommon for a patient to be injured during the move, or attempted move, from one position to another, or from one structure to another. A patient may be injured when his or her body is grabbed, pulled or pushed during the move. Additionally, a patient may be further injured if the health care worker is unable to successfully move, lift or rotate the patient because the patient may develop bed sores or further irritate already existing sores.
Because of the risk of injury to the health care worker as well as the patient, several mechanisms have been developed to ease the patient transfer process. Although several of these mechanisms have improved the patient transfer process, current designs are still problematic, particularly because they are very complex machines. Many of the new mechanisms utilize a motor that creates a pulling force to assist workers when moving a patient. Generally, these motorized systems include a complex motor housing which pulls a cable or cables attached on one end to the motor unit and on the other end to a special transfer device, such as special boards, straps or web-like structures, onto which the patient has been positioned.
Although these existing systems have provided better methods for transferring patients than previously used methods, these systems often have many disadvantages. First, because of the complexity of the motor units, such mechanisms are costly to manufacture and therefore costly for hospitals, nursing homes and home care specialists to purchase. Second, the automatic nature of the devices may make them complicated to operate and hence may require much training to handle properly. The training of these workers may be time-consuming and costly to the health care providers. Third, existing systems are often very awkward and difficult to use. Fourth, because these systems rely on a motorized, electrical process, these systems may create a dangerous situation for the patient in the event of a power failure, especially in a home health care situation. Fifth, because these mechanisms often require the patient to be transferred with special transfer devices, the risk of injury to the patient is greater. Sixth, existing transfer mechanisms are not desirable because the manually operated models require a health care worker to bend to low levels to rotate a handle which is uncomfortable. Seventh, many of these mechanisms only assist the user for sliding the patient and do not assist the user for lifting or rotating the patient. Finally, many of the existing systems for gripping a bedsheet used in association with the transfer mechanisms are complicated and difficult to use.
There have been several attempts to mechanize the patient transfer process. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 2,665,432 (Butler), (hereinafter xe2x80x9cthe ""432 patentxe2x80x9d) describes a cart with a manual crank connected to an extensive pull unit. The pull unit has a large number of straps which connect at an edge by hooks to a transfer sheet. Rotation of the crank winds the pull unit onto a roller. The pull unit is difficult to use in that it is attached at many locations to the sheet, and it is wound onto the roller in an awkward manner. In addition, the pull unit must be placed under the person since it would not be kept under the person at all times. Furthermore, the usefulness of the ""432 patent is limited in that no way is provided for transferring the patient off the cart.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,733,452 (Tanney) (hereinafter xe2x80x9cthe ""452 patentxe2x80x9d) describes a transfer system that uses a motorized pulley to transfer a patient using a metal reinforced transfer sheet. The transfer sheet has metal grommets in its comers for the attachment of cables. A motor is used to wind the cable onto reels, thereby moving the sheet. The patient must first be moved onto the transfer sheet to move the patient from a bed to the cart. Furthermore, there is nothing to support the patient on the transfer sheet.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,747,170 (Krouse) (hereinafter xe2x80x9cthe ""170 patentxe2x80x9d) reveals an alternative motorized winch type transfer system and includes the use of a more general type of transfer sheet. The gripping system for the transfer sheet, though, is difficult and awkward to use.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,737,781 (Votel) and U.S. Pat. No. 5,890,238 (Votel) depict a patient transfer system for horizontal transfer of patients using transfer sheets. The transfer system includes a set of straps attached on one end to the transfer sheets by means of a clamping device and on the other end to reels that are part of a winch. The activation of the winch winds the straps on the reels. The clamping device comprises a rigid cavity formed by two curved sections and has a releasable catch at its opening such that the transfer sheet can be held in the cavity by the catch until the catch is released. The system may also include a rod onto which the sheets are folded, placed in the cavity, and then clamped to hold the sheet-covered rod within the cavity during operation. While this system uses straps and a clamping device to grasp the transfer sheets, this system does not allow the reels to be adjusted to various heights for ease of use by an operator when the system is manually operated.
To overcome the above-mentioned disadvantages, a simple, uncomplicated and convenient mechanism to transfer patients utilizing only the sheets on which these patients rest must be created.
A patient transfer assembly is provided for moving a sheet across a structure having a transfer surface, a stationary base, and a movable platform. The assembly includes a gripper adapted for attachment to the sheet on the transfer surface and a cable coupled to the gripper. The cable is entrained around a pulley for guiding the cable. The gripper, which is adapted for adjustable positioning on the cable, pulls the sheet as the movable platform moves from a first position to a second position. Some embodiments of the patient transfer assembly may include additional pulleys.
Another embodiment of the patient transfer assembly is provided for rotating or lifting a patient above a structure having a transfer surface, a stationary base and a movable platform. The assembly includes a gripper for attachment to a sheet, a trapeze, a pulley attached to the trapeze, and a cable coupled to the gripper and entrained around the pulley so that the gripper pulls the sheet upward as the movable platform moves from a first position to a second position.
Yet another embodiment of the patient transfer assembly includes a drive cable entrained around a drive pulley coupled to a drive shaft and a pulling cable coupled to a gripper, entrained around a pulling pulley fixed relative to the drive shaft and attached to the structure. When the drive cable unwinds from the drive pulley as the movable platform moves, the drive shaft rotates causing the pulling cable to wind around the pulling pulley, pull the gripper and move the patient.